Art – Explore-Phillyhttp://explore-philly.com
A Philadelphia lifestyle magazine finding the unusual out of the ordinaryThu, 21 Sep 2017 17:51:38 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.2HGTV’s The Scott Brother’s Hit Merriam Theater for “An All Out Party with 2,000 of Their Best Friends”http://explore-philly.com/hgtvs-the-scott-brothers-hit-merriam-theater-for-an-all-out-party-with-2000-of-their-best-friends/
http://explore-philly.com/hgtvs-the-scott-brothers-hit-merriam-theater-for-an-all-out-party-with-2000-of-their-best-friends/#respondWed, 06 Sep 2017 15:35:43 +0000http://explore-philly.com/?p=15245Video, story by Whitney Ullman

The Scott Brothers, Jonathan and Drew, published a new book titled “It Takes Two: Our Story” and every attendee at this Philly event will receive a copy! The two are most known for transforming ordinary houses into stunning dream homes on the HGTV show Property Brothers, so during this tour stop one of the coolest perks is that they will offer digital makeovers to select fans who have submitted footage of the worst room in their house.

All-in-all, the Scott Brother’s candidly dubbed this event as an all out party with 2000 of their best friends and promised attendees a fun exciting show. Click the video link below to hear more about their professional and personal lives as well as to get more details on this week’s event.

On a crisp spring day, A.C. Moore opened its doors to the public in true artistic fashion in Center City Philadelphia on 100 South Broad Street. The day before the grand opening though was the press preview and I got a sneak peek into the newest addition to the A.C. Moore family. For a little background, A.C. Moore has been open to the public since 1985. Their headquarters are in Berlin, New Jersey, and this new 27,000 square foot store makes 137 stores across the United States. This new Center City store has taken over what was formerly an entertainment center and there is an obscene amount of space. One thing that was mentioned to me by founder of A.C. Moore, Pepe Piperno, was the expansion of children’s crafts and activities, fine art supplies, home décor, florals and framing. This is an incredible thing that the company has accomplished because after almost thirty-two years, this is the biggest, most advanced store in their history!

Additional notes on this building is that David Tutera is now working with A.C. Moore to create any brides DIY dreams a reality. They have glassware, ribbons, veils, a myriad of decorative table items and all at a reasonable price! In addition, the framing department is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. On the second floor, they have custom framing services available. Clean, sleek, organized and state of the art fun. They have it set up like any painter’s studio with computers that take a picture of your item and show you the completed frame even before you pay for it with their custom framing services. Cost of frames are dependent on the size of the item, the frame that is picked out, and if you were one of the lucky ones, a buy one frame, get another frame half off sale that was offered during the first week of the stores opening back in April.

One thing that should be noted is the art classroom that A.C. Moore has available. The center city location is the only one of its kind with craft and art demonstrations, and instructional courses for aspiring artists of all ages. It can hold up to twenty adorable little ones, plus adults, for birthday parties, arts and craft play days, etc., etc. In addition, new to the A.C. Moore family are student, veteran and teacher discounts at 15% off anything in the store. I absolutely love the store and even got to make and keep a flower candle holder for my apartment. The tour of the building was incredible, staff extremely friendly, and a wonderful way to kick-start this grand opening. Store hours for everyone’s enjoyment is Monday through Friday 7 am to 9 pm. Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm, and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. I hope A.C. Moore brings out the inner artist in you!

On top of Bok building overlooking Philadelphia. Cassie Hepler Photography.

Story, photos by Brittany Harlow

This year, the Philadelphia Chapter of American Institute Architects hosted the Edmund N. Bacon Awards at architectural rarity, and recently repurposed former technical school, BOK, in South Philadelphia. At this event, Edmund N. Bacon, former city planner of Philadelphia, is remembered for his work and dedication to the city of Philadelphia. His success lives on throughout the city of Philadelphia in various projects surrounding community unity. Every year, the award is given to someone who models Edmund Bacon’s dream to unite communities through public space. The Rail Park teamed up with AIA Philadelphia for the event, and designed a student competition with this quest for city wide unification through public space in mind. The event also selected Chicago artist, designer, and community revitalizer, Theaster Gates as recipient of their 2017 award. The event was a night centered on the concepts of community strengthening through design. The event buzzed of creativity, optimism for community strength and appreciation for artistic integrity.

Main Entrance of Bok

The hosts of the event, AIA Philadelphia members and workers at The Rail Park, began the evening introducing the student projects and presenting their challenge. Student architectural programs throughout the region were invited to compete in the challenge to design a functional, communal and enticing portion of the massive tunnel portion of the proposed Rail Park. There were obvious challenges for the students who were tasked to make an abandoned rail tunnel transform into an exciting and safe community attraction, but many teams rose to the challenge nonetheless.

The Philadelphia local team Connect Philly, combined the efforts and abilities of students from Drexel and Philadelphia University for their submission. Connect Philly was awarded third place and the second place award went to the team Rail Park Roots of Cornell University. In first place, came the one-man-show of Dual Scape of Manitoba University in Quebec. Each of the winner’s designs were focused around various ways to develop the previously industrial complex in order to foster community engagement in a healthy, useful, and beautiful way. It was fascinating to see all of the different ways the students paid homage to the history of the tracks and their surrounding neighborhoods, and the methods the students used to entice public engagement.

After the student awards and the display of a promising architectural future were recognized, the event called forward their guest speak Theaster Gates. He was awarded for his incredible artistic contributions to the Stony Island neighborhood in south Chicago. In his acceptance speech, is Theaster illustrated the ways he has transformed his neighborhood in Chicago for the better, through his incorporation of art, history, and home pride through locally conscious and socially intentional design.

Theaster is multi-medium artist who uses art and history to influence and encourage healthy community spaces. He is the founder of the Rebuild Foundation. He spoke about a few of his successful projects, how he got his start, and how he found his drive. He explains that, “It’s not enough to have a degree, you must have shrewdness, a charm, a business ability to negotiate messy and nasty work, language unlike a fine arts student would have.” He demonstrates the dedication and the “after 5 pm work” that went into achieving his goals. He spoke about the importance of his type of work, work that believes in community and supports culture. The projects Theaster and his Rebuild Foundation create are significant to their community and significant in their purpose. He said, “The arts are asked to do significant things, be the caregiver for all, the scapegoat for all.”

His talk went on to express the importance the shape of a community will have on its people and the influence the people truly have on their community. His Rebuild Foundation operates around the hope and promise of building a great environment and community through art and celebration. In a time of gentrification horrors, he spoke of his foundation’s ethical redevelopment, neighborhood stability, and neighborhood rebuilding that is sustainable, considerate and social. He closed his impassioned, free styled speech with a prayer to all those passionate about development, design and communities. He wished us all “luck, ethos, and righteousness”.

Michael Garden VP of The Rail Park project

The halls of historical former technical school and architectural treasure, Bok

Students presenting on their designs proposals for the competition hosted by Philly AIA

One Man Show: Winner of the student competition

Halls of the High School were decorated with the student projects

Student Projects on display in the hallways of Bok.

]]>http://explore-philly.com/architectural-awards-wish-you-luck-ethos-and-righteousness-at-bok-building/feed/0Changing Lives One Haircut at a Time with Haircuts for the Homelesshttp://explore-philly.com/changing-lives-one-haircut-at-a-time-with-haircuts-for-the-homeless/
http://explore-philly.com/changing-lives-one-haircut-at-a-time-with-haircuts-for-the-homeless/#respondThu, 27 Jul 2017 16:37:55 +0000http://explore-philly.com/?p=13232Story by Jill Beckel, photos by Joseph Berardi

Explore Philly recently got a chance to talk with Joseph Berardi, a local Philly hair stylist, about his amazing act of generosity that soon turned into much more. Joseph works with his dad and brother at Richard Nicholas Hair Studio and was born and raised in Philly. We think that the world could use more people like Joseph.

What inspired you to first give haircuts to the homeless?

“I have a client that runs SREHUP, a Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia, in Center City. One day we were talking, it happened to be near the holidays, and I thought it would be nice to visit the shelter and give out haircuts. I wanted to make them feel better/special around the holidays, so we set up a day for me and some of my stylists to come in and cut the guys’ hair there.”

How many years have you been cutting hair?

“I have been cutting hair for 20 years now. I started when I was 13. My mom, dad and brother are all hair stylists, so I was exposed to the beauty industry since I was born. It seemed only natural that I would get into it at a very young age. I have been cutting the homeless’ hair for about 5 years now.”

What part of Philly do you mainly focus on?

“I mainly focus on the SREHUP shelter in Center City Philadelphia.”

How many homeless individuals do you think you have given haircuts to? Is it mostly men or women or both?

“I would say I have cut at least 25 people at the shelter, mostly men, but there was a few women over the years as well. Every time we bring a team so we have collectively done maybe 100-150 cuts over the years.”

What are some of the stories you’ve heard from the homeless? Which ones impacted you the most?

“I have heard a lot of stories that have opened my eyes to the struggle some people endure while being in that position. Probably the one that left the most impact on me would be from one of the guys who had third degree burns on his scalp from when he was a child. His older brother poured boiling water on his head when he was around 13 years old and that was when he ran away from his home. That was when he first became homeless. He is now 56 years old and has been homeless ever since. It really just goes to show one horrible thing can impact your whole life.”

How do you give the haircuts (i.e. Do you set up a small area on the street or invite them to come into your shop?)

“We go to the shelter and set up there, that way we can do it all year ’round. We particularly like to go during the holidays which is normally cold here in Philly.”

How many stylists from the area have joined you? What were their reasons for wanting to?

“I have had probably 10 stylists from all over the area join me as they seem to want to give back also. I remember one telling me she wanted to do it because her mom was homeless for a while and she thought it would have been great if someone would have done this for her mom.”

Do you hope to continue to offer this service to the homeless for a long time?

“Yes, we try and do it every three months or so and hope to do it for as long as they need it. We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s a great feeling doing something for someone without expecting anything in return. The people at the shelter are so happy after their cuts that it lifts everyone up.”

Do you have any other additional info available online such as a social media page, etc. where people can find you?

When one thinks of the Kentucky Derby, you think of mint juleps, good food, bowties, women’s fashion and hats. Especially the hats. West Laurel Hill’s derby day had all this and so much more. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect. West Laurel Hill is a well know cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd. It is the site of many notable burials and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It also has an arboretum and an outdoor sculpture garden.

So, how do you throw a derby party in the middle of a cemetery? Not to worry, they have it covered and have done it before. First of all, driving through the grounds, it is quite beautiful. The cemetery is exceptionally well maintained and quite large. The monuments and headstones look more as works of art. When we pulled up to the conservatory that would host the party, you soon forgot you were in the middle of a cemetery. The building itself was beautiful and elegant.

When we stepped inside, the layout was fantastic. It is spacious and there were windows everywhere to let in the natural light. Tables were set up with derby themed décor. Food was plentiful, as it was set up in a buffet style. There was a strawberry spinach salad, fried chicken sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, tomato turkey sandwiches, and so much more, all courtesy of Izenberg’s Catering. Dessert was also plentiful especially with Cupcakes by Ruth. All of it was delicious! In addition, the drinks, especially the mint juleps, were freshly made and outstanding! There was also a live band to fill the space with appropriate derby music. Later in the day there were prizes given out to best dressed, best bowtie, best hat, just to name a few.

Beyond the main room, there was a smaller back room that featured a photo booth, another bar station, and you could get a fashion illustration of you done by noted local artist Denise Fike. Outside, carriage rides were being offered on this perfect spring day. All proceeds of this wonderful event went to benefit the Hope Springs Equestrian Therapy.

Back inside, there were two large screen televisions broadcasting the Kentucky Derby. Bets were placed and once the race started, eyes were glued to the screen. In the end, it was “Always Dreaming” that won the race. All in all, this was a fantastic derby day party. West Laurel Hill did a wonderful job and we will definitely be going back next year. They can and do host a number of events during the year. I highly recommend you give them a try for next years’ Kentucky Derby Day or if you are thinking of having an event, give them a look. You won’t be disappointed.

The Philadelphia contemporary ballet company Ballet X held their annual premier party on the 50th floor of Sky Philadelphia, located at 1717 Arch Street. The event was not just a premier party. It was a night to celebrate dance, music and three important people who have supported Ballet X throughout the years. It was a night to honor Damian Wetzel and Janet and Jim Averill. Their strength, support and belief in Ballet X has helped the ballet company grow every year and has helped them become a more recognizable name, not just in the Philadelphia area but nationwide.

The evening featured a wonderful cocktail reception followed by a fantastic sit down dinner. Guests were also treated to several performances throughout the evening. Cellist Wendy Sutter preformed for the guests not once but twice, during the cocktail reception and during dinner. Members of Ballet X also preformed several times during the sit down dinner much to the delight of the packed dining room.

The evening was capped off with a live auction. Guests enthusiastically bid on everything from trips to Vail or New York City to dinner with the artistic team or a special 14 carat white gold Parisian flower pendant modeled throughout the evening by Ballet X dancer Caili Quan.

It was a wonderful evening in many ways. The food and drinks served throughout the evening were top notch. The views of the Philadelphia skyline from atop the 50th floor of Sky Philadelphia were breathtaking, especially as night fell on the city. But more importantly, it was a special evening because of the overwhelming love and support the guests have with Ballet X. There can be no doubt that this ballet company will continue to grow, especially with people like Damian Wetzel and Janet and Jim Averill in their corner.

Ballet X started just over 10 years ago in Philadelphia and are in the process of launching their 2017 spring series, which begins on April 26th and runs through May 7th at the Wilma Theatre. You can find out more information about Ballet X and their performances at BalletX.org.

The National Museum of American Jewish History debuted a special exhibit in mid-March called “1917: How One Year Changed the World”. The exhibition looks back 100 years at how three major events brought about political and social change that reshaped the role that the United States would play in the world. These events were America’s entry into World War 1, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the issuing of the Balfour Declaration. The exhibition tells the story of the year 1917 from the perspective of American Jews and what trials and tribulations they had to endure during this time in history.

The exhibit itself is very moving and one can not help but to imagine what American Jews, and Jews worldwide had to go through during this time. The exhibit was spaced and laid out perfectly and encompasses about 150 artifacts. Every piece of the exhibit was donated either by museums or through private collections. One of the highlights was seeing the actual Balfour Declaration, exhibited for the first time ever, and graciously donated by a private collector.

For those unaware of what is the Balfour Declaration, it is a letter from the Great Britian’s Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. It read:

“His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

The text of the letter was published in the press one week later, on November 9th, 1917. The “Balfour Declaration” was later incorporated into both the Sèvres peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire, and the Mandate for Palestine.

The exhibit runs through July 16th. The museum is located on historic Independence Mall at the corner of 5th and Market streets. Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-5:30pm and closed most Mondays.

1917: How One Year Changed the World exhibit.

The Balfour Declaration

Close up of the Balfour Declaration.

Close up of the Balfour Declaration.

]]>http://explore-philly.com/american-jewish-history-museum-debuts-impactful-exhibit-1917-how-one-year-changed-the-world/feed/0America’s Got Talent Held Season 12 Auditions at Pennsylvania Convention Centerhttp://explore-philly.com/americas-got-talent-held-season-12-auditions-at-philadelphia-convention-center/
http://explore-philly.com/americas-got-talent-held-season-12-auditions-at-philadelphia-convention-center/#respondTue, 25 Apr 2017 15:33:24 +0000http://explore-philly.com/?p=13138Some of us have more talent than others, but is it good enough to make it on the #1 show of the summer for the past decade? Thousands of Philadelphians, and those from the surrounding area flocked to the Pennsylvania Convention Center to audition for Season 12 of America’s Got Talent, which was the fifth stop on a 10-city nationwide search for America’s next big undiscovered entertainer.

Reporter Whitney Ullman was on hand to capture all kinds of fun talent on video including: Singing, Dancing, Magic and more. Check it out…

Called “the AirBNB of cameras,” by Forbes and Fast Company, KitSplit is making it faster and easier to get everything from high-end cameras and lenses to drones and virtual reality gear. It’s old news that companies like Netflix, YouTube and Snapchat are revolutionizing how visual content gets distributed. KitSplit is focused on transforming the beginning of the creative process. And they just announced that they’re acquiring CameraLends, which makes it the largest online camera rental marketplace. They will manage the combined entity under the KitSplit brand from their headquarters at the Hearst Tower in New York. Tens of thousands of items are available for rent, including high end digital cinema cameras, drones and virtual reality filming rigs.

CameraLends was launched by Adam Derewecki in January 2013, listing cameras and lenses in the San Francisco Bay Area. Designed for freelance photographers and filmmakers, CameraLends is a marketplace that connects professionals who own gear with verified renters. Since launching, CameraLends grew rapidly to 500+ locations across the United States, with thousands of community members and listings available for rental.

CameraLends creator Adam Derewecki.

“There are more content creators today than ever before and they all need access to top quality, affordable gear. Since launching a little over a year ago, KitSplit has made huge improvements to the process ofrenting gear, making creative work and connecting with other creators. This has driven thousands of users and tens of millions worth of gear listings to the platform. The CameraLends acquisition will further our goals of democratizing access to great gear and empowering creators,” says KitSplit cofounder and CEO Lisbeth Kaufman.

“I’m very excited that CameraLends is joining the KitSplit family! The KitSplit founders are industry veterans who understand the pain points around equipment rentals. It’s a natural union, and I’m excited to see the community grow larger and stronger,” said Adam Derewecki, founder of CameraLends. CameraLends launched in 2013 in San Francisco. Like KitSplit, it has focused on empowering creators, broadening access to gear, and helping creators who own gear to safely make extra money renting it out. The acquisition follows very strong growth for both CameraLends and KitSplit, intensified by an explosion of visual content creation.

“We’re excited to be working with CameraLends’ forward-thinking founder Adam Derewecki, one of the innovators in the space. CameraLends has an impressive record of growth, and this partnership is an exciting milestone for KitSplit and the creative community,” said Kristina Budelis, cofounder and President of KitSplit.

KitSplit launched in late 2015 in New York, founded by Lisbeth Kaufman (CEO), Kristina Budelis (President), and Ken Amarit (CTO). The company’s users include thousands of filmmakers and creatives as well as several large media companies such as Hearst, NBC, Vox, and National Geographic. They have raised money from investors including Hearst, one of the largest media companies in the world, as well as Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video Ventures, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, and prominent angel investor Joanne Wilson.

Meet the creators, the KitSplit tech team.

All CameraLends members will be pre-vetted and welcomed into the KitSplit community.CameraLends users’ profiles and gear listings will be available on KitSplit.CameraLends users will be able to take advantage of KitSplit’s comprehensive insurance offerings, local delivery, robust customer service, and huge inventory of gear sourced from rental houses as well as individuals and production companies.CameraLends users join the thousands of award-winning and industry-leading filmmakers, photographers and artists of the KitSplit community.

“We’re thrilled to welcome CameraLends members to the KitSplit community. KitSplit will now be able to reach more people and companies than ever in our quest to empower creatives and build the biggest and best community of creatives in the world,” said Lisbeth Kaufman, CEO of KitSplit.

For more information, view a video about how KitSplit works,see some of the awesome projects #MadeWithKitSplit on our blog, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents the most comprehensive loan exhibition in over 40 years devoted to the most important chapter in the history of watercolor painting in this country. American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent will bring together more than 170 works—many of them acknowledged masterpieces of this difficult, yet rewarding medium—drawn from public and private collections throughout the country. Tracing the development of the watercolor movement from its passionate embrace by a small, but dedicated group of painters in the 1860’s to the flowering of Modernism, this sweeping survey will examine the remarkable transformation of the medium that occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and is centered on the achievements of two of its most influential practitioners: Winslow Homer (1836-1910) and John Singer Sargent (1856-1925).

Timothy Rub, the Museum’s George D. Widener Director and CEO, told Explore Philly: “This major gathering of exceptional watercolors tells an extraordinary American story in rich and compelling detail. The exhibition is also a rare event because these fragile works are light-sensitive, exhibited infrequently, and seldom lent. It will be seen only in Philadelphia, where visitors will experience one of the country’s great artistic legacies through brilliantly colored landscapes, still life’s and genre scenes, as well as illustrations and designs for ceramics and stained glass. There has never been such a comprehensive exhibition devoted to this subject, and we are exceptionally grateful to our lenders who have helped to make it possible.

Entrance to the Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through May 14th.

Winslow Homer’s Diamond Shaol.

The Wedding by an Unknown Artist.

Autumn Leaves by Ellen Robbins.

Applaes and Plums by Jphn William Hill.

John Biglin in a Single Scull by Thomas Eakins.

Gloucester Harbor by Winslow Homer.

Man Fishing by John Singer Sargent.

The Bathers by John Singer Sargent.

A Group with Parasols by John Singer Sargent in oils.

Kathleen A. Foster, the Museum’s Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art, said: “By the early 1880s, every corner of the American art world would be represented in the Society’s galleries: avant-garde painters returning from Europe, the old guard learning new tricks, illustrators looking for “fine art” status, and women artists seeking an entrée.”